A different world: the evolution of travel in the noughties

It was almost exactly 10 years ago that we returned from our first trip booked online. Shortly after buying my first internet enabled PC, we had made contact by email with a Canadian tour company who would take us up to the frozen wastes of Hudson Bay to watch the polar bear migration. Since that trip I can only recall using a travel agent once (to book a complex RTW ticket). But just how much have our options, our behaviours and our experiences changed over the last 10 years?

Planning

The ability to plan trips from the comfort of our own home has (for me) been the biggest breakthrough. In the past we would rely on the information gathered by others. As someone who loves to explore every possible detail of a trip before I go, the internet has been a godsend. I can browse the options on offer, study maps and images and read others’ experiences before finalising an itinerary. Now I can even chat with others who have been to these places and with those whose business I might choose to engage. I have been greatly empowered in this decade.

Communication

I haven’t used a hotel phone (apart from incoming calls) for many years. It is now far cheaper to use my mobile, and the expense (and logistical difficulty) of arranging a long-distance call from a remote corner of the world has now largely gone. Text messaging has made it very easy to update folks at home of our safety and well-being, and they have been able to send us updates too. As a regular blogger, I now no longer even need to share photos and stories with others on our return. They can read (or not) in their own time, and even follow our progress while we travel.

Of course, this connectivity is a curse too, as we can check emails from our phones while travelling through rural Indian landscapes, and the reality of our everyday lives becomes ever harder to escape, even for a short break. The ability to make that break from our routines has now fallen firmly on our own shoulders and our own ability to exercise the self-discipline required.

Gadgets

When I think beyond clothing I wonder what I used to pack! While I am not a gadget freak by any measure, I carry my phone, netbook and camera, each with their own chargers. I haven’t yet invested in a Kindle, but that may well reduce the need to carry those books we inevitably take.

At least there is no need to take all those rolls of film anymore. And music! It’s not so long ago that I had a backpack full of cassettes and batteries for my Walkman. Now a tiny iPod Nano and a USB lead is enough to carry far more music than ever before.

Security

The events of 9/11 and beyond have changed travel in so many ways. Air travel has become a horrible experience, with security checks taking so much time on each leg of a trip and the constant suspicion and paranoia that has accompanied the new procedures. No longer can we carry water, fluids or even a pair of nail clippers (although a sharp pencil is ok).

The new world has not only brought fear to the skies. Even in hotels, we now have real reason to fear, especially those are staying in high end properties. The 2008 attacks in Mumbai brought home to many that places where westerners congregate are now terrorist targets almost anywhere in the world.

Air Travel

Suprisingly little has changed in the last 10 years. Of  course, low cost carriers have enabled us to travel to destinations that we were unable to reach easily before. And the Airbus 380 has replaced Concorde as the iconic aircraft of our time, and will no doubt appear more and more over the coming decade. One thing we have not made any progress towards (it could be argued we’ve even moved backwards) is the speed of getting from A to B. With all the messing around at airports these days, London to New York for example is a longer journey door to door than it would have been 10 years ago.

The world will continue to evolve and the next decade will doubtless bring even more progress and innovation. How travel will look when we are about to enter 2020 is anyone’s guess. It will be interesting to see if the push towards greener behaviour has any impact on how we travel. Will it restrict how much we can fly? Will there be changes in suppliers’ practices to reflect a green focussed world? Or will we just be taxed yet more in the name of environmental goodness and continue as now, grumbling into our sangria on a faraway shore?